The Best Of BCHankthaTank- Squirrels, they hate to be thrown. / Why is the magical unicorn named Brian... Jedi - I just downloaded the "kids" book, "Go the F--k to Sleep" as narrated by Samuel L. Jackson on my kindle. I am now ready to be a daddy. / *Checks Router* No, I'm positive I didn't hit the "Wings Defense Sucks" button. Electrophile - I'm just glad the Wings were able to win despite the Curse of Brian. ACallToArms - I think Trey needs to put something about payroll tax and deferred income in his sig... Edicius- I'd rather [have] a soundbite of me saying "I like (man sausage)" rather than "I like Crosby".

That commercial is certainly suspect. It's also curious that of all our players, Jimmy would have a commercial.

Here's my beef, we have been trashing Howard the last two months. With more than one member essentially calling for his head. Jimmy is not playing great, that's for sure. Now the "Osgood is going to save the world" posters ar coming out. None of our goalies have been exceptional or game-stealing this year. Can we please give this kid a break. The Red Wings have almost never played in front of Howard the kind of defensive hockey that they're capable of. Howard didn't play in '08 when we iced the best team I've ever seen. But, Howard showed that he is capable of stealing games and carrying this team during a season where we seen more adversity than we have in 15 years. He let in some soft goals in the playoffs, but terrible officiating and inconsistant play cost us more. He started this year strong but has been inconsistent since. If the playoffs started today, I would not be comfortable with Howard as our starter, i might even give JMac the nod. That said, Howard has the highest GAA of any goalie over the last few seasons that's played a significant number of games for the Wings...except for OSGOOD! Howard, at very least, has been a decent/adequate starter, while Osgood has made a career out of being a DECENT goalie.

Osgood is has a long history of giving up the untimely and soft goals that Howard is getting flack for, as well as recently giving up goals in which he has seemed to forget where he's even suppossed to be in the net positionally. While Ozzie has had playoff success (with 08 and 09 possibly being the best he's ever played), I personally can count the number of times that he has undeniably "stolen" games, on one hand. Last year, I watched Howard play Hart Trophy hockey for three months while we iced the Grand Rapids Griffins. He has been replaced before, arguably because he isn't/wasn't a frontline starter. His best numbers/best season were in a season where our defence was the best I've ever seen and he only played half the games.

On top of all this, until late last season when he apparently concedied to the fact that it wasn't doing him any good, he openly complained to the media about how his play wasn't his fault. Whether it was his defence not playing well, not getting enough games in a row, or Babcock's personal mission to destroy his career and confidance (ala Mike Commodore), he just wouldn't take responsibility. That's un-Red Wing like, and I'd bet if he wasn't Chris Osgood, because of his play and attitude he would have been gone already.

Ozzie has gave us some great memories and deserves his place in Wings history. I don't hate Osgood, I just don't have the same unrealistic view of what he is as a goaltender as some. I believe it should be a certainty, with his level of play and recent injury, that he does not start in the playoffs. Going by the Nabokov saga and Holland's pedigree, I imagine he agrees. My point is, judging by what we've seen of Howard so far in his career, he has a good chance of being a decent/adequate goalie in the mode of LGW's favorite 1B goalie and he is as good of a decision for the playoffs as an aging, hurt, and inconsistant Chris Osgood. All I'm calling for is a little more patience with Jimmy and some concession to the fact that Osgood isn't the answer this year either.

Note: Here's to hoping McCullom or Mrazek turn out to be bonafide big time goalies.